U.S. patent application number 16/147039 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-02 for automatic card shufflers and related methods of automatic jam recovery.
The applicant listed for this patent is Bally Gaming, Inc.. Invention is credited to James Helgesen, James Stasson.
Application Number | 20200101369 16/147039 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000003810178 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-02 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20200101369 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Helgesen; James ; et
al. |
April 2, 2020 |
AUTOMATIC CARD SHUFFLERS AND RELATED METHODS OF AUTOMATIC JAM
RECOVERY
Abstract
Automatic card shufflers may include a card input mechanism for
inputting cards into the card shuffler, a card storage device for
receiving cards from the card input mechanism and temporarily
storing cards within the card shuffler, and a card output mechanism
for outputting cards from the card shuffler. The automatic card
shufflers may randomly select an internal compartment to be an
overflow compartment for inserting cards when a failure of
insertion of a card to a selected primary card position occurs.
Inventors: |
Helgesen; James; (Eden
Prairie, MN) ; Stasson; James; (Chaska, MN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Bally Gaming, Inc. |
Las Vegas |
NV |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000003810178 |
Appl. No.: |
16/147039 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2001/003 20130101;
A63F 1/067 20130101; A63F 1/12 20130101; A63F 2001/005
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63F 1/12 20060101
A63F001/12 |
Claims
1. An automatic card shuffler, comprising: a card input mechanism;
a rack with card storage compartments for holding more than one
card; an elevator configured to move the rack relative to the card
input mechanism; a control system configured to: select at least
one card storage compartment as an overflow compartment; randomly
select a primary card position within the card storage compartments
for each card moving through the card input mechanism; align the
rack relative to the card input mechanism such that each card
moving through the card input mechanism is inserted into its
randomly selected primary card position; and align the rack
relative to the card input mechanism such that at least one card is
inserted into the overflow compartment responsive to the at least
one card failing to be inserted into its randomly selected primary
card position.
2. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the control
system is configured to randomly select the primary card position
for each card prior to selecting the at least one card storage
compartment as the overflow compartment.
3. The automatic card shuffler of claim 2, wherein the control
system is configured to adjust one or more of the primary card
positions responsive to the least one card storage compartment
being selected as the overflow compartment.
4. The automatic card shuffler of claim 3, wherein the control
system is configured to adjust one or more of the primary card
positions by incrementing pre-assigned primary card positions
corresponding to compartments having index values greater than the
overflow compartment.
5. The automatic card shuffler of claim 3, wherein the control
system is configured to adjust one or more of the primary card
positions by reassigning a pre-assigned primary card position
corresponding to the at least one card storage compartment selected
to be the overflow compartment.
6. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the control
system is configured to select the primary card position for each
card after selecting the at least one card storage compartment as
the overflow compartment.
7. The automatic card shuffler of claim 6, wherein the control
system is configured to ignore positions corresponding to the
overflow compartment from being selected as the primary card
position.
8. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the control
system is configured to select two card storage compartments as
overflow compartments.
9. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the control
system is configured to: align the rack to an offset location
relative to a center location of a card storage compartment
receiving the card from the card input mechanism; and align the
rack from the offset location toward the center location as the
card is inserted into the compartment.
10. The automatic card shuffler of claim 9, wherein the control
system is configured to partially insert the card at the offset
location and complete insertion of the card at the center
location.
11. The automatic card shuffler of claim 10, wherein the offset
location is selected from the group consisting of an upper location
and a lower location relative to the center location.
12. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein each of the
compartments is sized and configured to hold two cards in the
compartment.
13. The automatic card shuffler of claim 12, wherein each of the
compartments is sized and configured to prevent insertion of more
than two cards in the compartment.
14. The automatic card shuffler of claim 1, wherein the control
system configured to select the at least one card storage
compartment randomly as the overflow compartment.
15. An automatic card shuffler, comprising: a card infeed area; a
rack having compartments configured to hold at least two cards
delivered to the rack from the card infeed area; a card mover
configured to move cards from the card infeed area into the
compartments of the rack when aligned with the card infeed area;
and a control system configured to: control the rack to move to a
first position of a first compartment when a first card is located
within the first compartment; control the card mover to at least
partially insert a second card from the card infeed area into the
first compartment with the rack aligned with the first position;
control the rack to move to a second position of the first
compartment; and control the card mover to complete insertion of
the second card into the first compartment with the rack aligned
with the second position of the first compartment.
16. The automatic card shuffler of claim 15, wherein the first
position of the first compartment is an offset position relative to
a center position of the first compartment, and the second position
is the center position of the first compartment.
17. The automatic card shuffler of claim 15, wherein the control
system is further configured to: control the rack to move to a
first position of a second compartment when a third card is located
within the second compartment; control the card mover to attempt to
insert a fourth card from the card infeed area into the second
compartment with the rack aligned with the first position of the
second compartment; control the card mover to reverse insertion of
the fourth card responsive to detecting a failure of the attempt;
control the rack to move to align with an overflow compartment
selected by the control system.
18. A method of handling cards, the method comprising: randomly
determining and correlating primary card positions with cards to be
shuffled by a card shuffler; determining at least one compartment
of a rack of the card shuffler to be an overflow compartment;
transferring a first card with a card mover from a card infeed area
into a first compartment according to its randomly defined primary
card position; and transferring a second card with the card mover
from the card infeed area into the overflow compartment responsive
to the card mover failing to insert the second card in its randomly
defined primary card position.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: moving the rack to
a midpoint of the first compartment responsive to no cards
currently being present within the first compartment when the first
card is transferred; and moving the rack to an offset location of
the first compartment responsive to another card currently being
present within the first compartment when the first card is
transferred.
20. The method of claim 19, moving the rack from the offset
location to the midpoint of the first compartment while the first
card is being transferred into the first compartment.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein randomly determining and
correlating the primary card positions includes adjusting the
primary card positions from an initial determination responsive to
a random determination of the at least one compartment to be the
overflow compartment.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.
15/363,374, filed Nov. 29, 2016, pending, which is a continuation
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/575,689, filed Dec. 18,
2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,849,368, issued Dec. 26, 2017, which is a
continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/560,792, filed Jul. 27, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,960,674,
issued Feb. 24, 2015, the disclosure of each of which is hereby
incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to automatic card shufflers
for use in randomizing an order of a group of cards, such as
standard playing cards, to methods of manufacturing such automatic
card shufflers, and to methods of randomizing an order of a group
of cards using such automatic card shufflers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Card shufflers are used to randomize an order of cards in a
stack of cards, and are frequently used in the gaming industry for
use with playing cards, such as decks of standard playing cards
which include four suits (i.e., clubs, diamond, hearts, and spades)
of cards, wherein each suit includes a group of thirteen (13)
differently ranked cards sequentially numbered from two (2) through
ten (10), as well as a Jack, a Queen, a King, and an Ace. Such a
standard deck of playing cards may also include one or more
additional cards, such as one or two additional Jokers. Thus, a
complete deck may comprise, for example, fifty-two (52),
fifty-three (53) or fifty-four (54) playing cards.
[0004] Card shufflers are known in the art that, in addition to
shuffling cards, may be used to sort cards into a predetermined
order, such as what is referred to in the art as "new deck" order.
To accomplish such a sorting operation, a card shuffler must be
capable of accurately identifying indicia on each card, such as the
rank and suit of standard playing cards. Card shufflers capable of
sorting cards often include a card imaging system, which may
include a camera that acquires an image of at least a portion of
each card. An algorithm may be used to analyze the image and
compare the image to images of cards of known identity. By
determining to which known image the acquired image most closely
corresponds, the identity of each card may be determined and used
by the card shuffler to sort cards into a predetermined order.
[0005] Many previously known card shufflers are not capable of
truly randomizing an order of the cards in any given set of cards
due to limitations in the physical mechanism or system used to
shuffle the cards. Thus, there remains a need in the art for card
shufflers that are capable of truly randomizing an order of cards
in a set of cards to a sufficient degree to be considered random in
the shuffler arts. Additionally, it may be desirable to shuffle
and/or sort cards using a card shuffler quickly so as to increase
the amount of shuffling and/or sorting operations that may be
performed by a card shuffler in any given amount of time.
[0006] The ACE.RTM. card shuffler, previously offered by Shuffle
Master, Inc. of Las Vegas, Nev. in the past, and as described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,154, is a batch-type card shuffler with a
vertically moving rack comprising multiple compartments fixed
relative to an adjacent compartment. This structure lacks card
recognition. Shuffling is accomplished through random loading of
the racks, and random unloading of formed packs. Packs of cards are
formed in compartments. The order in which the cards are delivered
to hand-forming compartments is substantially random. The
composition of the pack is random. Cards placed in the discard rack
are not randomly ordered. More than two cards are delivered to each
compartment.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,248 describes a carousel-type card
shuffler that uses a card imaging system to identify cards as they
move from a card infeed tray to compartments in a rotatable
carousel. The card shuffler randomly loads cards into compartments
in the carousel, and sequentially unloads the compartments. More
than two cards may be delivered to each compartment. U.S. Pat. No.
6,651,981 describes a flush-mounted batch card shuffler that
elevates shuffled cards to the game play surface. U.S. Pat. No.
7,677,565 describes a similar card shuffler that also includes card
recognition capability. These card shufflers form a single stack of
a shuffled deck or multiple decks. The stack formed in the shuffler
is gripped at randomly selected elevations. A section of the stack
of cards beneath the grippers is lowered, which creates an
insertion opening into the stack into which additional cards may be
inserted to shuffle the cards. Products as described in these
patents have been commercialized by Shuffle Master, Inc. either
currently or in the past as DECK MAIL.RTM. and MD2.RTM. and MD3.TM.
card shufflers.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,332 describes a hand-forming card
shuffler that includes card recognition capability. The device
described in this patent has been commercialized by Shuffle Master,
Inc. as the I-DEAL.RTM. card shuffler.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0009] In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes an
automatic card shuffler. The automatic card shuffler comprise a
card input mechanism, a rack with card storage compartments for
holding more than one card, an elevator configured to move the rack
relative to the card input mechanism, and a control system. The
control system is configured to select at least one card storage
compartment as an overflow compartment, randomly select a primary
card position for each card of the cards moving through the card
input mechanism, align the rack relative to the card input
mechanism such that each card moving through the card input
mechanism is inserted into the respective randomly selected primary
card position for each card, and align the rack relative to the
card input mechanism such at least one card is inserted into the
overflow compartment responsive to the at least one card failing to
be inserted into its selected primary card position.
[0010] In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes an
automatic card shuffler. The automatic card shuffler comprises a
card infeed area, a rack having compartments configured to hold at
least two cards delivered to the rack from the card infeed area, a
card mover configured to move cards from the card infeed area into
the compartments of the rack when aligned with the card infeed
area, and a control system. The control system is configured to
control the rack to move to a first position of a first compartment
when a first card is located within the first compartment, control
the card mover to at least partially insert a second card from the
card infeed area into the first compartment with the rack aligned
with the first position, control the rack to move to a second
position of the first compartment, and control the card mover to
complete insertion of the second card into the first compartment
with the rack aligned with the second position of the first
compartment.
[0011] In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes a
method of handling cards. The method comprises randomly determining
and correlating primary card positions with cards to be shuffled by
a card shuffler, randomly determining at least one compartment of a
rack of the card shuffler to be an overflow compartment,
transferring a first card with a card mover from a card infeed area
into a first compartment according to its randomly defined primary
card position, and transferring a second card with the card mover
from the card infeed area into the overflow compartment responsive
to the card mover failing to insert in its randomly defined primary
card position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a back isometric view of an exterior of an
automatic card shuffler including a lid to cover a card input area
and a card output area, wherein the lid is illustrated in a closed
position;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of the card shuffler of
FIG. 1 illustrating the lid in an open position exposing the card
input area and the card output area;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a first side elevational view of a left side of
the card shuffler with an outer cover removed to expose internal
components of the card shuffler;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a second side elevational view of a right side of
the card shuffler with the outer cover removed;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a third side elevational view of a front side of
the card shuffler with the outer cover removed;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a fourth side elevational view of a back side of
the card shuffler with the outer cover removed;
[0018] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a rack of the card shuffler
that includes multiple card storage compartments and an associated
mechanism for vertically moving the rack up and down within the
card shuffler;
[0019] FIG. 8A is a side elevational view of a component of the
rack;
[0020] FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 8A;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of components of the rack
illustrating the components assembled in a first configuration for
use with cards of a first size;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a top plan view like that of FIG. 9 illustrating
the components of the rack assembled in a second configuration for
use with cards of a different second size;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a front isometric view of a brake roller assembly
of the card shuffler;
[0024] FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a back side of the brake
roller assembly of FIG. 11;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating various components
of a control system of the card shuffler;
[0026] FIGS. 14A-14H are simplified and schematically illustrated
cross-sectional views taken through the card shuffler apparatus
along a plane parallel to the left and right sides of the automatic
card shuffler (and perpendicular to the front and back sides of the
automatic card shuffler), wherein various components and features
of the card shuffler have been removed to facilitate illustration
and description of operation of the card shuffler; and
[0027] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the card
shuffler during a shuffling operation.
[0028] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the card
shuffler during a shuffling operation according to another
embodiment of the disclosure in which the overflow compartment may
not be a fixed compartment in the rack.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be
actual views of any particular card shuffler or component thereof,
but are merely idealized representations that are used to describe
embodiments of the disclosure.
[0030] As used herein, the term "shuffle," when used with reference
to cards, means to randomize an order of cards in a stack of
cards.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic card shuffler
100. The card shuffler 100 is configured to automatically randomize
an order of cards in a stack of cards, such as a 52-card deck of
cards, for example. The cards may be playing cards for use in
playing card games, such as poker, single deck blackjack or double
deck blackjack, or other hand-pitched games. The card shuffler 100
is a batch card shuffler, in that a plurality of cards are inserted
into the card shuffler 100 in the form of a first stack, the card
shuffler 100 randomly reorders the cards and assembles the cards
into a second shuffled stack, which is then output from the card
shuffler 100 in batch form as a stack of shuffled cards.
[0032] The card shuffler 100 may be capable of performing
additional operations on one or more cards inserted into the card
shuffler 100. For example, the card shuffler 100 may be configured
to sort cards in a stack of cards inserted into the card shuffler
100 into a predefined order, such as original deck order. The card
shuffler 100 may be configured to verify the presence or absence of
cards in a predefined set of different cards having one or more
distinguishing characteristics (e.g., rank and/or suit of standard
playing cards and/or special card markings). The card shuffler 100
may be configured to detect and identify cards that are damaged to
allow the cards to be removed from a set of cards prior to use of
the set of cards in a playing card game. Thus, although the card
handling machine is referred to herein as a card "shuffler," it may
also be characterized as a card sorter, a card verifier, etc.
[0033] As discussed in further detail below, the card shuffler 100
includes an internal card storage device, a card input mechanism
for moving cards from a card input area into the internal card
storage device, and a card output mechanism for moving cards from
the internal card storage device to a card output area. The card
shuffler 100 also may include a card reading system for capturing
data from one or more images of cards inserted into the card
shuffler 100. Examples of suitable card reading systems include
complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) 2D imaging systems
and contact image sensor (CIS) and CMOS line scanners. The card
shuffler 100 further includes a control system for controlling the
various active components of the card shuffler 100, for receiving
input from a user of the card shuffler 100, and for outputting
information to a user of the card shuffler 100.
[0034] Referring briefly to FIG. 4, the card shuffler 100 includes
an internal structural frame 102, to which the various components
of the card shuffler 100 may be directly or indirectly coupled. The
frame 102 may comprise a plurality of members that may be coupled
together to form the frame 102. Referring again to FIG. 1, an outer
cover 104 may be coupled to the internal structural frame 102
around the internal components of the card shuffler 100. The outer
cover 104 covers and protects the internal components of the card
shuffler 100. The card shuffler 100 includes a card input area 106
and a separate card output area 108, as shown in FIG. 2. Cards to
be shuffled may be assembled into a first stack, which may be
placed into the card input area 106. After shuffling or sorting the
cards, the card shuffler 100 may deliver a second stack of
shuffled/sorted cards to the card output area 108. As mentioned
above, the second stack may be formed by randomly reordering the
cards in the first stack placed in the card input area 106.
[0035] The card shuffler 100 may be configured to be mounted such
that an upper surface 110 of the card shuffler 100 is at least
substantially level (i.e., flush) with a surface of a playing card
table, such as a poker table for example. A lid 112 may be used to
cover the card input area 106 and the card output area 108 at times
other than when cards are being loaded into the card input area 106
or being removed from the card output area 108. The lid 112 may be
attached to the frame 102 and/or the top surface 110 of the outer
cover 104 (FIG. 4) and may be configured to open and close
automatically during operation of the card shuffler 100. FIG. 1
illustrates the card shuffler 100 with the lid 112 in the closed
position, and FIG. 2 illustrates the card shuffler 100 while the
lid 112 is in the open position for loading and/or unloading
cards.
[0036] FIGS. 3 through 6 illustrate the card shuffler 100 with the
outer cover 104 and other components, such as frame members,
removed from the view to reveal internal components and mechanisms
of the card shuffler 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the card shuffler 100
includes a card input mechanism 120, a card storage device 170 for
temporarily storing cards within the card shuffler 100, and a card
output mechanism 220. The card input mechanism 120 is configured to
move cards from the card input area 106 (FIG. 2) into the card
storage device 170, and the card output mechanism 220 is configured
to move cards from the card storage device 170 to the card output
area 108 (FIG. 2).
[0037] The card input mechanism 120 includes an input elevator 122
including a card support 124 (FIG. 2) that is configured to
translate vertically along a linear path between an upper loading
position and a lower unloading position, and a motor 126 configured
to drive movement of the card support 124 between the loading and
unloading positions. As shown in FIG. 2, the card support 124 has
an upper support surface 125 for supporting a stack of cards
thereon. In the loading position, the card support 124 is located
proximate the upper surface 110 of the card shuffler 100 to allow a
user to place a stack of cards to be shuffled on the support
surface 125 of the card support 124 in the card input area 106.
This position may be above, below or at the gaming surface
elevation. In the unloading position, the card support 124 is
located at another position within the card shuffler 100 from which
cards are moved out from the stack and toward the card storage
device 170.
[0038] Referring again to FIGS. 3 through 6, the card input
mechanism 120 includes one or more pick-off rollers 128A-128C. The
pick-off rollers 128A-128C are used to sequentially move a bottom
card in a stack of cards on the support surface 125 out from the
stack of cards in a lateral, horizontal direction toward the card
storage device 170. Two or more of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C
may be driven in unison by a motor 129 using a belt 130 engaged
with complementary pulleys mounted on axles carrying the pick-off
rollers 128A-128C. One or more of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C,
such as the pick-off roller 128A, optionally may comprise an idler
roller that is not driven by the motor 129, but rather idly rolls
along the surface of a card moving past the idler roller responsive
to rotation of other driven pick-off rollers, such as 128B and
128C, driven by the motor 129.
[0039] As discussed in further detail below with reference to FIGS.
11 and 12, the card input mechanism 120 may further include an
adjustable brake roller assembly 156 that includes a brake roller
160 disposed proximate the pick-off roller 128C so as to dispose a
card gap between the brake roller 160 and the pick-off roller 128C
through which cards pass as they move through the card input
mechanism 120 toward the card storage device 170.
[0040] With continued reference to FIGS. 3 through 6, the card
input mechanism 120 further includes one or more speed-up rollers
134A-134D, and a motor 136 configured to drive rotation of one or
more of the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The speed-up rollers
134A-134D are used to accept a card from the pick-off rollers
128A-128C, and to insert the card into the card storage device 170.
The speed-up rollers 134A-134D may be located and configured to
contact and grab a leading edge of a card just prior to the point
at which a trailing edge of the card passes beyond and is released
from the pick-off rollers 128A-128C. Thus, as the leading edge of
the card contacts the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, as controlled and
determined by selective rotation of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C,
the card will be grabbed and pulled out from the pick-off rollers
128A-128C and inserted into the card storage device 170 by the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D.
[0041] As with the pick-off rollers 128A-128C, two or more of the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D may be driven in unison by the motor 136
using a belt 138 engaged with complementary pulleys mounted on
axles carrying the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. One or more of the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D, such as the speed-up roller 134B and
the speed-up roller 134D, optionally may comprise idler rollers
that are not driven by the motor 136, but rather idly roll along
the surface of a card moving past the idler roller responsive to
rotation of other driven speed-up rollers, such as 134A and 134C,
driven by the motor 136.
[0042] During a shuffling operation of the card shuffler 100, the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D may be continuously rotated at a
substantially constant rotational speed. Rotation of the pick-off
rollers 128A-128C, however, may be selectively started and stopped
by a control system 280 (FIG. 13) of the card shuffler 100. When
rotation of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C is commenced, the
pick-off rollers 128A-128C may rotate at a rotational speed that is
less than the rotational speed of the speed-up rollers
134A-134D.
[0043] The card input mechanism 120 further includes a packing
device 142 that is used to ensure that cards inserted into the card
storage device 170 are fully inserted into the card storage device
170. The packing device 142 includes a card packer 144, and a motor
146 configured to drive movement of the card packer 144 between a
first extended position (see FIG. 14D) and a second retracted
position (see FIG. 14C). Referring briefly to FIG. 14C, the card
packer 144 may be mounted on an axle 148, about which rotation of
the card packer 144 may be driven by the motor 146. Referring again
to FIGS. 3 through 6, the card packer 144 may be moved to the
retracted position to allow a card to pass by the card packer 144
and into the card storage device 170. After the trailing edge of
the moving card has passed over the card packer 144, the card
packer 144 may be moved into the extended position, which may
"pack" the card into the card storage device 170 in such a manner
as to ensure that the card is pushed fully into the card storage
device 170 and does not bounce back out from the card storage
device 170. Thus, the card packer 144 of the packing device 142 may
rock back and forth with each successive passing card, ensuring
that each card is fully seated within the card storage device
170.
[0044] The card input mechanism 120 may further include a card
weight device 154 for applying a downward force on any stack of
cards resting on the card support 124. The force applied on the
stack of cards may ensure that sufficient frictional force is
provided between the bottommost card in the stack of cards on the
card support 124 and the pick-off rollers 128A-128C to ensure that
the pick-off rollers 128A-128C can reliably remove the bottommost
cards sequentially one at a time from the stack until each card in
the stack has been removed. The card weight device 154 may comprise
a lever that may be moved into an activated position in which the
card weight device 154 is in direct physical contact with the upper
surface of the topmost card in the stack of cards on the card
support 124, and applies a downward force to the cards, after the
input elevator 122 has been lowered into the card shuffler 100
below the card input area 106. The lever also may be moved into a
deactivated position in which the lever does not engage the stack
of cards on the card support 124. A card weight motor 152 (see FIG.
13) may be used to drive movement of the card weight device 154
between the activated position and the deactivated position. After
all cards in the stack of cards on the card support 124 have been
moved into the card storage device 170 by the card input mechanism
120, the card weight motor 152 may be actuated to retract the card
weight device 154 into the deactivated position so as to allow
additional cards to be placed onto the card support 124.
[0045] The card storage device 170 includes a rack 171 that
includes a plurality of card storage compartments 172 therein (see
FIGS. 8A and 8B). Each of the card storage compartments 172 may be
sized and configured to contain one or more cards therein. In some
embodiments, each of the card storage compartments 172 may be sized
and configured to contain two or more cards therein. In some
embodiments, each card storage compartment 172 may be sized and
configured to hold only two cards therein. For example, each card
may have a thickness of between about 0.0107 inch and about 0.0129
inch. Each compartment may be about 0.047.+-.0.002 inch in some
embodiments. For embodiments in which two card may be inserted in
each card storage compartment, the number of card storage
compartments 172 may be about one half of a number of cards that
are expected to be shuffled using the card shuffler 100 plus one or
more overflow compartments. For example, if the card shuffler 100
is configured to shuffle a single fifty-two (52) card deck of
standard playing cards, which optionally may include two additional
cards (e.g., Jokers), the rack 171 may include between twenty-six
(26) and twenty-nine (29) card storage compartments 172. It may be
desirable to provide one or more extra shelves so that the machine
can deliver a card to the one or more extra shelves when a prior
delivery attempt to a different compartment failed. For example, if
a card is bent and cannot be inserted into a selected compartment,
the card shuffler 100 may move the card into an extra compartment
(which, in some embodiments, may be larger in size than other
compartments to accommodate such a bent card). In embodiments for
processing two decks of 52 to 54 cards each, the rack can contain
between fifty four (54) and fifty eight (58) compartments.
[0046] The card rack 171 is configured to translate in the vertical
direction along a linear path. The card storage device 170 includes
a motor 174 configured to drive movement of the rack 171 up and
down in the vertical direction. The motor 174 includes an encoder,
which may be used to identify relative positions of the rack 171
from a known home position. The home position may correspond to the
location at which a bottom surface 176 of the rack 171 (FIG. 8A) is
vertically aligned with a card disposed between the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D.
[0047] To identify and calibrate the home position in a set-up or a
calibration operational mode of the card shuffler 100, the rack 171
may be moved to the lowermost position within the card shuffler
100, and the encoder associated with the motor 174 may be reset, or
the value of the encoder at the lowermost position may be recorded.
The rack 171 may be moved upward within the card shuffler 100 to a
location at which the bottom surface 176 of the rack 171 will
certainly be located in a plane located vertically above any card
gripped between the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The card shuffler
100 then may cause the speed-up rollers 134A-134D to move a card
into the space below the rack 171 without losing the grip on the
card and completely inserting the card into the space below the
rack 171. The card then may be drawn back away from the space below
the rack 171 by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, and the rack 171
may be lowered by a small incremental distance. The card shuffler
100 then may again cause the speed-up rollers 134A-134D to attempt
to move the card into the space below the rack 171 without losing
the grip on the card by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. This
process of attempting to insert the card into the space below the
bottom surface 176 of the rack 171 and then incrementally lowering
the rack 171 may be repeated until the card abuts against the side
of the rack 171, such that the speed-up rollers 134A-134D are
prevented from inserting the card into the space an expected
distance, which may be detected by, for example, using a sensor (as
discussed below) or monitoring an electrical current of the motor
136 driving the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The location of the
rack 171 at this point, as determined by the value of the encoder
associated with the motor 174, may be set as the home position in
the control system 280 (FIG. 13) of the card shuffler 100. In
additional embodiments, the rack 171 may be moved to the lowermost
position within the card shuffler 100, and the encoder associated
with the motor 174 may be reset, or the value of the encoder at the
lowermost position may be recorded. The rack 171 may be moved
upward within the card shuffler 100 to a location at which the
bottom surface 176 of the rack 171 will certainly be located in a
plane located vertically below any card gripped between the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D, but wherein all card storage
compartments are located vertically above any card gripped between
the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The card shuffler 100 then may
cause the speed-up rollers 134A-134D to attempt to move a card into
the rack 171. If the card is not able to be inserted into the rack
171, the card then may be drawn back away from the rack 171 by the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D, and the rack 171 may be raised by a
small incremental distance. The card shuffler 100 then may again
cause the speed-up rollers 134A-134D to attempt to move the card
into the rack 171 or into a space below the rack 171 without losing
the grip on the card by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. This
process of attempting to move the card into a space occupied by the
rack 171 and then incrementally raising the rack 171 may be
repeated until the card is able to move into the space below the
rack 171 without losing the grip on the card by the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D, which may be detected by, for example, using a
sensor (as discussed below) or monitoring an electrical current of
the motor 136 driving the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The location
of the rack 171 at this point, as determined by the value of the
encoder associated with the motor 174, may be set as the home
position in the control system 280 (FIG. 13) of the card shuffler
100.
[0048] FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrate the card storage device 170
separate from other components of the card shuffler 100. As shown
therein, the rack 171 optionally may include a first side bracket
assembly 178A and a second side bracket assembly 178B. Each of the
side bracket assemblies 178A, 178B include multiple slots 179
formed therein so as to define ribs 180, 181 between the slots 179.
The side bracket assemblies 178A, 178B may be aligned with one
another and coupled together using one or more cross members 188,
such that a central void 189 is defined between the side bracket
assemblies 178A, 178B, and such that slots 179 in the first side
bracket assembly 178A align with corresponding complementary slots
179 in the second side bracket assembly 178B. Each card storage
compartment 172 is defined by a slot 179 in the first side bracket
assembly 178A and a corresponding and complementary slot 179 in the
second side bracket assembly 178B.
[0049] The central void 189 between the side bracket assemblies
178A, 178B may be sized and configured to allow an ejector 228
(FIGS. 3 and 4) to be positioned within or adjacent the rack 171
alongside cards positioned within the card storage compartments
172, and to translate horizontally in a lateral direction to eject
cards out from the rack 171, as discussed in further detail below.
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, ends 182 of the ribs 180, 181
proximate the speed-up rollers 134A-134D may include tapered upper
surfaces 184A and tapered lower surfaces 184B. Cards contacting a
tapered surface are deflected and driven into the compartment 172
adjacent to a card already present in the compartment. By aligning
the card being fed with an upper tapered surface, the card may be
driven into the compartment 172 above a card already present. By
aligning the card being fed with a lower tapered surface, the card
may be driven into the compartment 172 below a card already
present. When the device is used to place cards in a pre-selected
order, such as original deck order, the tapered surfaces are
essential to achieve a desired order. When a random order is
desired, the tapered surfaces may also be used to achieve a desired
random distribution. For example, the processor may select a
location for each card to be fed at the beginning of a shuffling
cycle. Each compartment has two locations, an upper and lower. If a
card was assigned to location 1, another card would be driven in
below the first card in location 2.
[0050] As discussed in further detail below, the card shuffler 100
may be configured to selectively position the rack 171 any one of
three different positions for each of the card storage compartments
172 in the rack 171. In particular, the card shuffler 100 may be
configured to selectively position the rack 171 such that a card
being inserted into a selected card storage compartment 172 by the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D registers with a space 186 between the
upper and lower ribs 180 and 181 defining that card storage
compartment 172 when the card is being fed into an empty
compartment. When a card is already present in the compartment 172,
the next card may be fed such that the next card is aligned with
the tapered lower surface 184B of the upper rib 180 defining that
card storage compartment 172, or such that the card is aligned with
the tapered upper surface 184A of the lower rib 181 defining that
card storage compartment 172, depending on whether the processor is
directing the device to deliver the next card on top of or below
the first card inserted.
[0051] Referring again to FIGS. 3 through 6, the card shuffler 100
includes a card output mechanism 220 (FIG. 3) for moving cards
within the rack 171 of the card storage device 170 out from the
rack 171 and to the card output area 108 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG.
3, the card output mechanism 220 includes an output elevator 222
including a card support 224 (see also FIG. 2) that is configured
to translate vertically along a linear path between a lower loading
position and an upper unloading position, and a motor 226 (FIG. 4)
configured to drive movement of the card support 224 between the
loading and unloading positions. The card support 224 has an upper
support surface 225 (FIG. 2) for supporting a stack of cards
thereon. In the loading position, the card support 224 is located
at a position within the card shuffler 100 at which all cards in
the rack 171 may be moved out from the rack 171 and onto the
support surface 225 of the card support 224. In the unloading
position, the card support 224 is located proximate the upper
surface 110 of the card shuffler 100 in the card output area 108 to
allow a user to remove a stack of shuffled cards from the support
surface 225 of the card support 224, as shown in FIG. 2. The card
support surface 224 may be located above, below or at the top
surface 110. As also shown in FIG. 2, a lever member 227 may be
attached to the card support 224. The lever member 227 may be
located and configured to impinge against and lift the lid 112
automatically as the card support 224 moves to the upper unloading
position. As the card support 224 is lowered to the lower loading
position, the lid 112 may automatically close due to the force of
gravity, the force of member 227, one or more springs or other
biasing members, etc.
[0052] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the card output mechanism 220
includes an ejector 228 that is used to eject all cards within the
card storage compartments 172 in the rack 171 out from the rack
171, simultaneously and together in batch form as a group, and onto
the card support surface 225 of the card support 224 in the form of
a stack of shuffled cards. The ejector 228 may comprise an
elongated and vertically oriented bar or rod having a length at
least as long as the height of the rack 171. The ejector 228 may be
mounted to the frame 102 at a location in a plane vertically above
the rack 171. The ejector 228 may be configured to translate
horizontally along a linear path between a first position on a
first lateral side of the rack 171 proximate the card support 224
and the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, and a second position on an
opposite second lateral side of the rack 171 from the card support
224 and the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The card output mechanism
220 further includes an ejector motor 230 (FIG. 3) configured to
selectively drive movement of the ejector 228 between the first
position and the second position.
[0053] As previously mentioned, the rack 171 includes a central
void 189 defined between the side brackets 178A, 178B. The central
void 189 and the ejector 228 may be sized and configured to allow
the ejector 228 to move through the central void 189 from the
second position of the ejector 228 (on the side of the rack 171
opposite the card support 224) to the first position of the ejector
228 (on the same side of the rack 171 as the card support 224) when
the rack 171 is in the upper position, which will cause the ejector
228 to eject any and all cards in the card storage compartments 172
of the rack 171 to be simultaneously ejected out from the rack 171
and onto the card support surface 225 of the card support 224.
[0054] In additional embodiments, however, the rack 171 may not be
positioned in the uppermost position when the ejector 228 is used
to eject cards in the card storage compartments 172 out from the
rack 171, and may be positioned at a selected location, such that
cards are ejected from a selected number of card storage
compartments 172 that is less than the total number of card storage
compartments 172. In other words, the rack 171 may be positioned
such that any card storage compartments 172 vertically above a
horizontal plane in which the lowermost end of the ejector 228 is
located will be ejected out from the rack 171 upon actuation of the
ejector 228. In such a configuration, the ejector 228 of the card
output mechanism 220 is configured to simultaneously eject cards
out from two or more card storage compartments 172 of the movable
rack 171, and is capable of simultaneously ejecting cards out from
less than all card storage compartments 172 of the movable rack
171.
[0055] The card shuffler 100 optionally may include a card reading
and/or imaging system 250 configured to capture data representing
at least rank and suit information included in one or more images
of each card passing through the card shuffler 100, so as to allow
the card shuffler 100 to identify one or more characteristics of
the cards, such as the rank and/or suit of standard playing cards.
In some embodiments, however, data pertaining to cards read using
the card reading system 250 may not be used in the shuffling
operations performed by the card shuffler 100 for the purpose of
determining the random card order, although the data may be used in
the shuffling operations for the purpose of card verification. The
data pertaining to card data read using the card reading system 250
may be used to verify the completeness of a set of cards by
ensuring that no card expected to be in the set of cards is missing
from the set of cards (e.g., a missing card in a single deck of
standard playing cards), and/or that cards not expected to be
present in the set of cards are not present in the set of cards
(e.g., a duplicate or extra card in a single deck of standard
playing cards).
[0056] As shown in FIG. 3, the card imaging system 250 may include
an image sensor 252 for capturing images of cards. The term "image"
as used herein means at least a portion of one of suit and rank
indicia on a card and does not necessarily mean a full image of any
card. The image sensor 252 may be located and configured, for
example, to capture images of cards as the cards pass through the
card input mechanism 120 between the pick-off rollers 128A-128C and
the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. In other embodiments, the card
image sensor is located in the card input area 106 beneath the card
support 124 when the card support 124 is in a lowest position. In
some embodiments, the card imaging system 250 may comprise a camera
device that includes a complementary metal oxide semiconductor
(CMOS) image sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor.
For example, the card sensing system may include a video camera
imaging system as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,677,565, which
issued Mar. 16, 2010 to Grauzer et al., the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
[0057] In some embodiments, the rack 171 of the card storage device
170 may be adaptable for use with cards having different sizes.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, in some embodiments, the rack 171 of
the card storage device 170 may include a card size adjustment
member 190 capable of being attached to, or otherwise positioned
relative to the rack 171 in a first orientation for use with cards
of a first size (e.g., a first height and/or width) or in a
different second orientation for use with cards of a second size
(e.g., a second height and/or width). For example, a notch 192 may
be provided in a back side 183 of one or both of the side brackets
178A, 178B. The card size adjustment member 190 then may be
configured as an elongated bar or rod (extending into the plane of
FIGS. 9 and 10) that may be attached to one or both of the side
brackets 178A, 178B within the notch 192 using one or more
fasteners 194 (e.g., screws). The card size adjustment member 190
may include a projection 196 against which edges of cards 114 may
abut when the cards 114 are inserted into the card storage
compartments 172 in the rack 171.
[0058] As shown in FIG. 9, the card size adjustment member 190 may
be attached to the second side bracket 178B within the notch 192
such that the projection 196 is located farther from the ends 182
of the ribs 180,181 having the tapered surfaces 184A, 184B, such
that a card 114 having a first width W.sub.1 (e.g., a standard
poker card having a width of about 2.5 inches) may be received
completely within any of the card storage compartments 172 in the
rack 171. Referring to FIG. 10, the card storage device 170 may be
adapted for use with cards 114 having a smaller second width
W.sub.2 (e.g., a standard bridge card having a width of about 2.25
inches) by moving the card size adjustment member 190 relative to
the second side bracket 178B of the rack 171 to a different second
orientation, wherein the projection 196 is located closer to the
ends 182 of the ribs 180, 181 having the tapered surfaces 184A,
184B. Thus, the width of the card storage compartments 172 may be
between about 0.20 inches and about 0.30 inches (e.g., about 0.25
inches) less, due to the position of the projection 196, when the
card size adjustment member 190 is attached to the second side
bracket 178B in the second orientation compared to when the card
size adjustment member 190 is attached to the second side bracket
178B in the first orientation. Thus, the card size adjustment
member 190 is capable of being positioned relative to the rack 171
in a first orientation (FIG. 9) and a different second orientation
(FIG. 10), and each of the plurality of card storage compartments
172 in the rack 171 has a first size when the card size adjustment
member 190 is positioned relative to the rack 171 in the first
orientation and a different second size when the card size
adjustment member 190 is positioned relative to the rack 171 in the
second orientation.
[0059] In some embodiments, the card shuffler 100 may include a
sensor 334 configured to detect when the card size adjustment
member 190 is in the first orientation (shown in FIG. 9) or the
second orientation (FIG. 10) relative to the rack 171. For example,
a magnet 191 may be provided on or in the card size adjustment
member 190 at a selected location, and a Hall effect sensor 334 may
be located and configured to sense or otherwise detect the
proximity of the magnet 191 to the Hall effect sensor 334 when the
card size adjustment member 190 is in the first orientation (shown
in FIG. 9) or in the second orientation (FIG. 10), but not both.
For example, the magnet 191 may be located proximate the sensor 334
when the card size adjustment member 190 is in the first
orientation (FIG. 9), but not when the card size adjustment member
190 is in the second orientation (FIG. 10). The sensor 334 may be
coupled to the control system 280 (FIG. 13) of the card shuffler
100, such that the control system 280 may determine whether the
rack 171 is configured for use with cards 114 having the first
larger width W.sub.1 (FIG. 9) or with cards 114 having the second
smaller width W.sub.2 (FIG. 10).
[0060] In some embodiments, the card shuffler 100 may also be
adaptable for use with cards having different thicknesses. For
example, the card shuffler 100 may include an adjustable brake
roller assembly 156 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The brake roller
assembly 156 may include a bracket 158 and a brake roller 160. The
brake roller assembly 156 may be mounted within the card shuffler
100 such that the brake roller 160 is disposed proximate the
pick-off roller 128C (as shown in FIG. 3) so as to dispose a card
gap between the brake roller 160 and the pick-off roller 128C
through which cards pass as they move through the card input
mechanism 120 toward the card storage device 170. The brake roller
160 may be configured to move relative to the bracket 158 to
selectively adjust the thickness of the card gap between the brake
roller 160 and the pick-off roller 128C. The bracket 158 may be
fixedly mounted to the frame. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and
12, the brake roller assembly 156 may include a rotatable dial 162.
Rotation of the dial 162 may cause the brake roller 160 to move
toward or away from the bracket 158, which may be mounted at a
fixed location within the card shuffler 100, so as to adjust the
card gap between the brake roller 160 and the pick-off roller 128C.
The rotatable dial 162 may be biased to discrete rotational
positions, such that rotation of the dial 162 between rotationally
adjacent rotational positions causes the card gap to increase or
decrease by predefined distances. In some embodiments, most, if not
all, of the predefined distances may be at least substantially
uniform (e.g., about 0.003 inches).
[0061] As shown in FIG. 12, in one particular non-limiting
embodiment, the brake roller 160 may be mounted on an axle 163. The
axle 163 may be attached to a U-shaped bracket 164, which in turn
may be attached to a first end of a rod 166 extending through the
bracket 158 of the brake roller assembly 156. An opposite second
end of the rod 166 may be engaged to the dial 162 by a threaded
coupling. The dial 162 may be fixed in position relative to the
bracket 158 such that, as the dial 162 is rotated relative to the
bracket 158, the threaded coupling between the dial 162 and the rod
166 causes the rod 166 to move up or down within the bracket 158
depending on the direction of rotation of the dial 162. A spring
168 may be used to bias the rod 166 (and, hence, the brake roller
160) in the upward direction away from the pick-off roller 128C
(FIG. 3).
[0062] Using the adjustable brake roller assembly 156 shown in
FIGS. 11 and 12, the card shuffler 100 may be adapted for use with
cards of different thicknesses. Cards may be driven through the
card gap between the pick-off roller 128C and the brake roller 160
of the brake roller assembly 156, and the brake roller 160 may be
moved relative to the bracket 158 of the brake roller assembly 156
to selectively adjust the card gap between the brake roller 160 and
the pick-off roller 128C by selectively rotating the dial 162. The
dial 162 may be selectively rotated until the card gap is sized to
allow a single card to pass through the card gap, but to prevent
two or more cards from passing together through the card gap at the
same time. In this matter, the brake roller 160 sequentially breaks
single cards away from the stack of cards on the card support 124
of the card input mechanism 120, one card at a time.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 13, the card shuffler 100 may comprise a
control system 280 for controlling operation of the various active
components of the card shuffler 100, for receiving data input from
a user of the card shuffler 100, and for outputting data and/or
information to a user of the card shuffler 100. FIG. 13 illustrates
a non-limiting example embodiment of a control system 280 that may
be used for controlling the card shuffler 100. The control system
280 may include one or more control modules for performing
different functions of the control system 280, which control
modules may be operatively coupled together. For example, the
control system 280 may include a main control module 282, a
motor/sensor control module 284, and an imaging control module 286.
As shown in FIG. 13, the main control module 282 may be configured
to communicate electrically with (i.e., send electronic signals to,
and/or receive electronic signals from) each of the motor/sensor
control module 284 and the imaging control module 286. The
communication between modules 282, 284, and 286 may be either
direct or indirect. For example, one or more wires or other
electrical communication pathways may extend between the main
control module 282 and each of the motor/sensor control module 284
and the imaging control module 286. In some embodiments, the
imaging control module 286 may be configured to communicate
electrically with the motor/sensor control module 284, either
indirectly through the main control module 282 or directly by way
of one or more wires or other electrical communication pathways
that extend directly between the imaging control module 286 and the
motor/sensor control module 284.
[0064] Each of the main control module 282, the motor/sensor
control module 284, and the imaging control module 286 may include
one or more electronic signal processors 288 for processing
electronic signals, and one or more memory devices 290 (e.g.,
random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), Flash memory,
etc.) for storing electronic data therein. Each of the main control
module 282, the motor/sensor control module 284, and the imaging
control module 286 may comprise a printed circuit board 292, to
which the electronic signal processors 288 and memory devices 290
may be respectively coupled.
[0065] The main control module 282, the motor/sensor control module
284, and the imaging control module 286 may be mounted within the
card shuffler 100. In some embodiments, the main control module
282, the motor/sensor control module 284, and the imaging control
module 286 may be mounted at different locations within the card
shuffler 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the main control
module 282 may be mounted to a side member 102A of the frame 102.
The motor/sensor control module 284 may be mounted to a lower base
member 204B (FIG. 4) of the frame 102 (although the motor/sensor
control module 284 is not visible in FIG. 4), and the imaging
control module 286 may be mounted to another side member 204C (FIG.
5) of the frame 102 (although the imaging control module 286 is not
visible in FIG. 5). In some embodiments, the image sensor 252 of
the card imaging system 250 may be mounted directly to the printed
circuit board 292 of the imaging control module 286, and the
imaging control module 286 may be mounted within the card shuffler
100 at a location at which the image sensor 252, while mounted to
the printed circuit board 292, may capture images of cards as the
cards pass through the card input mechanism 120 between the
pick-off rollers 128A-128C and the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, as
previously described.
[0066] With continued reference to FIG. 13, the main control module
282 may include a data input device 294 configured to allow a user
to input data into the control system 280, and a data output device
296 configured to display information to a user. In some
embodiments, the data input device 294 and the data output device
296 may comprise a single, unitary device, such as a touch-screen
display that can be used both to display information to a user, and
to receive input from a user. In some embodiments, the control
system 280 may include a first control panel 298 located within the
interior of the automatic card shuffler 100 such that the first
control panel 298 is inaccessible to a user of the automatic card
shuffler 100 from outside the automatic card shuffler 100, and a
second control panel 298' located at least partially outside the
automatic card shuffler 100 such that the second control panel 298'
is accessible to a user of the automatic card shuffler 100 from
outside the automatic card shuffler 100. The first and second
control panels 298, 298' each may comprise touch-screen displays,
which may be operatively coupled with the main control module 282.
In some embodiments, the first and second control panels 298, 298'
may be mirrored with one another, such that what is displayed on
one is exactly the same as what is displayed on the other, and such
that the card shuffler 100 may be controlled by inputting data into
either of the control panels 298, 298'. In other embodiments, the
control panel 298 may comprise a primary host control panel, and
the control panel 298' may comprise a secondary control panel. In
such embodiments, depending on a selectable operational mode of the
card shuffler 100, either the primary host control panel 298 or the
secondary control panel 298' may be used. When the secondary
control panel 298' is being used, the user interface to be
displayed on the secondary control panel 298' may be forwarded to
the secondary control panel 298' from the host primary control
panel 298. When the secondary control panel 298' is being used, the
first control panel 298 may display a message indicating that the
secondary control panel 298' is being used. Input received from the
secondary control panel 298' may be forwarded to the host primary
control panel 298.
[0067] The first control panel 298 may not be visible or otherwise
accessible to a user of the card shuffler 100 during normal
operation, and the second control panel 298' may be located outside
the card shuffler 100 such that the second control panel 298' is
visible and accessible to a user of the card shuffler 100 during
normal operation of the card shuffler 100.
[0068] In some embodiments, the second control panel 298' may
comprise a modular display unit that may be mounted to a surface of
a gaming table at a location separate from the main console of the
card shuffler 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 through 6), which comprises the
card input mechanism 120, the card storage device 170, and the card
output mechanism 220, and may be operatively coupled with the main
control module 282 of the control system 280 using a wired or
wireless connection. As previously mentioned, the main console of
the card shuffler 100 may be configured to be mounted to a playing
card table such that the upper surface 110 of the card shuffler 100
is flush with the surface of the playing card table. As shown in
FIG. 1, the main console is substantially flat in one embodiment.
The second control panel 298' also may be configured to be
flush-mounted to the surface of the playing card table at a
location separated by a distance from the location at which the
main console of the card shuffler 100 is to be mounted. In other
embodiments, the second control panel 298' may be mounted above the
surface of the playing card table.
[0069] The first control panel 298 may be mounted directly to the
printed circuit board 292 of the main control module 282 in some
embodiments. The first control panel 298 may be adapted and used
for installation, initial set-up, and maintenance of the card
shuffler 100, while the second control panel 298' may be adapted
and used for controlling operation of the card shuffler 100 during
normal use of the card shuffler 100 for shuffling, sorting, and
verification of cards. The internal control panel 294 may be used
for maintenance, upgrades and repairs when the external panel 294
is located in a position spaced apart from the shuffler 100.
[0070] In other embodiments, however, the card shuffler 100 may
include a single data input device 294 and a single data output
device 296, such as a single control panel 298 comprising a
touch-screen display, which may be located anywhere on the card
shuffler 100 (e.g., on the inside or the outside of the card
shuffler 100) or remote from the card shuffler 100.
[0071] The main control module 282 may include one or more computer
programs stored electronically in the memory device or devices 290
thereof, which computer programs may be configured to control
operation of the various active components of the card shuffler
100.
[0072] The motor/sensor control module 284 may be configured to
control operation of the various motors within the card shuffler
100, and to receive signals from various sensors within the card
shuffler 100. The various sensors of the card shuffler 100 may be
used by the control system 280 to identify current operational
states of the various active components of the card shuffler 100,
such as locations of the movable components of the card shuffler
100.
[0073] For example, each of the motor 126 for the input elevator
122, the motor 129 for the pick-off rollers 128A-128C, the motor
136 for the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, the motor 146 for the card
packer 144, the card weight motor 152 for the card weight device
154 (FIG. 5), the motor 174 for the rack 171, the motor 226 for the
output elevator 222, and the motor 230 for the ejector 228 may be
electrically coupled with the motor/sensor control module 284 to
allow the motor/sensor control module 284 to independently,
selectively activate and deactivate the motors as needed to control
operation of the card shuffler 100.
[0074] The card shuffler 100 may include a number of sensors, which
also may be operatively coupled with the motor/sensor control
module 284. By way of example and not limitation, the card shuffler
100 may include a card sensor 310 configured to detect the presence
of one or more cards on the card support 124 of the card input
mechanism 120, a first input elevator sensor 312 located and
configured to detect when the input elevator 122 is in the
uppermost position, and a second input elevator sensor 314 located
and configured to detect when the input elevator 122 is in the
lowermost position. A card weight sensor 315 may be located and
configured to detect whether the card weight device 154 is in the
activated and/or deactivated position. A card sensor 316 may be
located and configured to detect the presence of a card as the card
moves off the card support 124 responsive to actuation of the
pick-off rollers 128A-128C. The card sensor 316 may be activated by
the leading edge of the card substantially immediately as the card
begins to move off from the card support 124.
[0075] A sensor 318 (or sensors) may be located and configured to
detect when a card moving responsive to actuation of the pick-off
rollers 128A-128C approaches the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. The
sensor 318 may be located and configured such that the sensor 318
may be triggered by a moving card prior to the leading edge of the
moving card engaging the speed-up rollers 134A-134D. In some
embodiments, the sensor 318 may be used to trigger activation of
the image sensor 252 of the card imaging system 250 to acquire one
or more images of the card. Optionally, the sensor 318 may be used
by the motor/sensor control module 284 to momentarily deactivate
movement of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C while the image sensor
252 of the card imaging system 250 acquires one or more images of
the card, after which the motor/sensor control module 284 may
reactivate movement of the pick-off rollers 128A-128C to cause the
card to be engaged by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D and inserted
into the card storage device 170. The sensor 318 may comprise a
photoactive sensor that includes an emitter for emitting radiation
toward any card present proximate the sensor 318, and one or more
receivers for receiving radiation emitted by the emitter and
reflected from a surface of a card. In some embodiments, the
photoactive sensor may include two radiation receivers oriented at
different locations along the direction of movement of the cards,
such that the photoactive sensor may determine a direction of
movement of any card moving proximate the sensor 318 by detecting
which of the two radiation receivers receives reflected radiation
first as a card moves past the sensor 318.
[0076] A sensor 320 may be located and configured to detect when a
card moving responsive to activation of the speed-up rollers
134A-134D passes by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D and begins to
enter the card storage device 170. In some embodiments, the sensor
320 may comprise a photoactive sensor that includes one or more
emitters for emitting radiation toward any card present proximate
the sensor 320, and two or more receivers for receiving radiation
emitted by the emitter and reflected from a surface of a card. The
two or more radiation receivers may be oriented at different
locations along the direction of movement of the cards, such that
the photoactive sensor may determine a direction of movement of any
card moving proximate the sensor 320 by detecting which of the two
radiation receivers receives reflected radiation first as a card
moves past the sensor 320. Thus, the sensor 320 may be capable of
detecting the presence of a card proximate the sensor 320, and
capable of detecting whether the card is moving into the card
storage device 170 or out from the card storage device 170. The
speed-up rollers 134A-134D may be capable of pushing a card toward
and into the card storage device 170, and capable of pulling a card
back away from the card storage device 170. For example, in the
case of a card jam wherein a card being inserted into the card
storage device 170 is not actually inserted into the card storage
device 170 as intended, the direction of rotation of the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D may be reversed to withdraw the card from the
card storage device 170, after which the position of the card
storage device 170 may be adjusted and the speed-up rollers
134A-134D activated to again attempt to insert the card into the
card storage device 170. If the card cannot be inserted into the
card storage device 170 upon a predetermined number of attempts,
the card may be inserted into an overflow card storage compartment.
If the attempt to insert the card into the overflow card storage
compartment is not successful, operation of the card shuffler 100
may be interrupted and an error message provided to a user via the
data output device 296 of the control system 280. When the card
shuffler is configured to accept two cards per compartment, card
jams may be more likely to occur when inserting the second card
into the same compartment.
[0077] The card shuffler 100 may further include one or more packer
sensors 322 located and configured to sense a position of the card
packer 144. For example, a packer sensor 322 may be located and
configured to sense when the card packer 144 is in the retracted
position. One or more rack sensors 324 may be located and
configured to sense a vertical position of the rack 171. For
example, a rack sensor 324 may be located and configured to sense
when the rack 171 is in the lowermost position. The card shuffler
100 may further include one or more ejector sensors 326. For
example, the card shuffler 100 may include an ejector out sensor
326 located and configured to sense when the ejector 228 is
disposed in the first position on the lateral side of the rack 171
proximate the card support 224, and an ejector in sensor 326
located and configured to sense when the ejector 228 is disposed in
the second position on an opposing lateral side of the rack 171
remote from the card support 224.
[0078] The card shuffler 100 may include a card sensor 328 located
and configured to detect the presence of one or more cards on the
card support 224 of the card output mechanism 220, a first output
elevator sensor 330A located and configured to detect when the
output elevator 222 is in the lowermost position, and a second
output elevator sensor 330B located and configured to detect when
the output elevator 222 is in the uppermost position. The card
shuffler 100 may include a lid sensor 332 located and configured to
detect when the lid 112 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG.
1. As previously discussed with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the
card shuffler 100 may include a card size sensor 334 located and
configured to detect when the card size adjustment member 190 is in
the first orientation (shown in FIG. 9) or the second orientation
(FIG. 10) relative to the rack 171.
[0079] The card shuffler 100 may be used to shuffle cards, to sort
cards, and/or to verify cards or sets of cards.
[0080] For example, the card shuffler 100 may be used to perform a
shuffling operation on a stack of cards, as described below with
reference to FIGS. 14A through 14H and FIG. 15. The card shuffler
100 may be placed in a shuffling mode using the data input device
294 of the control system 280. If the input elevator 122 and the
output elevator 222 are not in the raised uppermost positions and
the lid 112 open (as shown in FIG. 2), a start button 299 (FIGS. 1
and 2) on the upper surface 110 of the card shuffler 100 may be
pressed to cause the input elevator 122 and the output elevator 222
to raise to uppermost positions and raise the lid 112.
[0081] Referring to FIG. 14A, a stack of cards 114 such as a
standard 52-card deck, for example may be placed by a user on the
card support 124 of the input elevator 122, as represented in
action 400 in FIG. 15. In some embodiments, the control system 280
may be configured such that, upon detecting the presence of cards
114 on the card support 124 of the input elevator 122 using the
card sensor 310 and the absence of cards on the card support 224 of
the output elevator 222 using the card sensor 328 for a
predetermined amount of time (e.g., five seconds), the control
system 280 may automatically commence a shuffling operation by
lowering the input elevator 122 and the output elevator 222 to the
lowermost positions and automatically closing the lid 112, as shown
in FIG. 14B and represented as action 402 in FIG. 15. In some
embodiments, the shuffling operation may be initiated responsive to
a user input on the card shuffler itself and/or a remote
device.
[0082] As previously mentioned, the card shuffler 100 may be
configured for use in shuffling single fifty-two (52) card decks of
standard playing cards, which may optionally include one or more
additional cards, such as one or two Jokers, for example, for a
total of fifty-four (54) cards to be shuffled. In a configuration
suitable for shuffling a standard 52-card deck, the rack 171 may
include exactly twenty-seven (27) card storage compartments 172
(FIGS. 7 through 10), twenty-six of which may be sized and
configured to hold two or less (but no more than two in some
embodiments) cards therein at any given time, plus one spare
compartment reserved for receiving a card that was unsuccessfully
inserted into a different compartment. Thus, the rack 171 may
include fifty-three (53) card storage positions, wherein an upper
position and a lower position are designated within each card
storage compartment 172 and only one centrally located position is
located in the spare compartment. In some embodiments, more than
one additional shelves are provided to create a location to load
cards that cannot be loaded into a designated compartment. Because
each card storage compartment 172 may include zero, one, or two
cards therein at any given time, the upper and lower positions
within each card storage compartment 172 are virtual positions
until one card has been inserted into each card storage
compartments 172 by the card input mechanism 120, at which time a
next card is positioned in either a lower position in each card
storage compartment 172 or in an upper position in each card
storage compartment 172.
[0083] In other embodiments where a 53-card (with one Joker) or a
54-card deck (with two Jokers) is being randomized, it might be
desirable to provide 28 or 29 compartments rather than 27. When 53
or 54 cards are being randomized, 27 compartments are needed to
provide 53 or 54 delivery positions and at least one additional
compartment is needed to receive a card that failed to feed into
one of the other 27 compartments.
[0084] To shuffle cards or "randomize" the deck, as indicated at
action 404 in FIG. 15, the control system 280 of the card shuffler
100 creates a table that randomly assigns and correlates the cards
in the stack to one of the fifty two (52) card storage positions in
the rack 171. The control system 280 sequentially numbers the cards
from the bottom card in the stack of cards 114 toward the top of
the stack of cards 114 by sequentially assigning an integer to each
card. The control system 280 also sequentially numbers the card
storage positions in the rack 171. For example, the top card
storage position in the rack 171 may be designated as card storage
position "0," and the bottom card storage position in the rack 171
by be designated as card storage position "51," and the card
storage positions therebetween may be sequentially numbered. A
portion of the positions may be assigned to an upper portion of a
compartment and another portion may be assigned to a lower portion.
In one embodiment, between 27 and 29 compartments are needed to put
a deck of between 52 and 54 cards in a desired order (random or
pre-determined). Typically one, and in other embodiments two, extra
compartments are provided to accept cards that cannot be delivered
to the assigned compartment due to card jams, warped cards, damaged
cards, etc.
[0085] Thus, the control system 280 may utilize a random number
generator in the form of a hardware component or a software
component to randomly assign and correlate cards in the stack of
cards 114 resting on the card support 124 of the card input
elevator 122 to card storage positions in the rack 171. For
example, the control system 280 may include a random number
generator, which may be used to randomly assign and correlate 54
cards in the stack of cards 114 resting on card support 124 to the
card storage positions in the rack 171. The control system 280 may
generate a Card Position Table, such as Table 1 below, which
includes randomly assigned card storage positions for each
sequential card in the stack of cards 114 on the card support 124
of the card input elevator 122. The Card Position Table may be
stored in a memory device 290 of the control system 280 (FIG. 13).
In the following table, 54 cards are delivered to a total of 27
compartments, and there are no unused compartments for receiving a
card that previously failed to insert into a selected position in a
compartment.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Card Position Table Card Position 0 44 1 21
2 37 3 2 4 19 5 45 6 52 7 36 8 28 9 6 . . . . . . 48 53 49 20 50 39
51 35 52 27 53 48
[0086] As shown in this example, cards are randomized based on a
reassignment of card order based on the original card order, not
based on card rank and or suit values. In one embodiment, the
shuffler does not utilize its card recognition capabilities to
randomize an order of cards. In other embodiments, the card
recognition system recognizes and original order, and the random
number generator determines a final order based on a randomized
original order of rank and suit information. After randomizing the
deck by randomly assigning the fifty four (54) card storage
positions to the cards in the stack of cards 114 on the card
support 124 of the card input elevator 122, the card shuffler 100
may move a card weight (not shown) down onto the stack of cards 114
to apply a downward force on the stack of cards 114, as indicated
at action 406 in FIG. 15. The card shuffler 100 then may actuate
rotation of the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, as indicated at action
408 in FIG. 15. The card shuffler 100 then may employ the card
input mechanism 120 to sequentially move the cards in the stack of
cards 114 resting on the card support 124 into randomly selected
card storage positions within the rack 171 of the card storage
device 170.
[0087] The control system 280 may selectively control movement of
the various components of the card input mechanism 120 and the card
storage device 170 to cause the cards in the stack of cards 114 to
be inserted into the rack 171 and positioned in their randomly
assigned card storage positions. To accomplish insertion of the
cards into the rack 171, the rack 171 is moved up and down in the
vertical direction to a proper position relative to the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D (which are disposed at a fixed, static location
within the card shuffler 100) for insertion of each card into the
appropriate card storage compartment 172 and into its assigned card
storage position. If the card being inserted into the compartment
is the first card inserted, the card feeder is aligned to register
with the center of the compartment. If the card is the second card
being fed into a compartment already containing a card, then the
card feeder is aligned with tapered surface 184A or 184B, depending
upon whether the second card is inserted below or above the first
card inserted.
[0088] When a card is inserted into a card storage compartment 172
in the rack 171, there are two states that may exist. The first
possible state is the state wherein no other card is present in the
respective card storage compartment 172, and the second possible
state is the state wherein one card is already present in the
respective card storage compartment 172. The control system 280 may
include to a First Rack Position Table and a Second Rack Position
Table, each of which may be stored in the memory device 290 of the
control system 280. The First Rack Position Table may include the
positions at which the rack 171 is to be located for insertion of a
card centrally into a card storage compartment 172 when there is no
card already present in the respective card storage compartment
172. In an alternate embodiment, where there is no card in the
compartment (the first state), the rack 171 may have one or more
default alignments--to align and register with the center space of
the compartment or to align with the tapered lower surface 184B of
the upper rib 180 or with the tapered upper surface 184A of the
lower rib 181. Selection between these alignments can be used to,
for example, minimize rack vertical translation distances during
the process. Center alignment can be adopted as the preferred first
state alignment. The Second Rack Position Table may include the
positions at which the rack 171 is to be located for insertion of a
card into a card storage compartment 172 where there is already a
card present in the respective card storage compartment 172. Thus,
the First Rack Position Table correlates appropriate rack locations
to each of the twenty-seven (27) card storage compartments 172, and
the Second Rack Position Table correlates appropriate rack
locations to each of the fifty four (54) card storage positions in
the rack 171. An example First Rack Position Table is shown in
Table 2 below, and an example Second Rack Position Table is shown
in Table 3 below.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 1st Rack Position Table Rack Compartment
Location 0 0.125 1 0.250 2 0.375 3 0.500 4 0.625 . . . . . . 24
3.125 25 3.250 26 3.375
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 2nd Rack Position Table Rack Position
Location 0 0.085 1 0.165 2 0.210 3 0.290 4 0.335 5 0.415 6 0.460 7
0.540 8 0.585 9 0.665 . . . . . . 48 3.085 49 3.165 50 3.210 51
3.290 52 3.335 53 3.415
[0089] In Tables 2 and 3 above, the number of cards inserted is 54,
and the number of compartments in the rack is 26. The locations are
given in distance dimensions, wherein the distance is a relative
distance from a lower, bottom surface 176 of the rack 171, the
location of which may be periodically identified by the control
system 280 in a calibration process, as described in further detail
subsequently herein. Each position in Table 2 corresponds to a
position of a horizontal plane vertically centered within the card
storage compartment 172 between the ribs 180, 181 that define the
respective card storage compartment 172 therebetween. Each position
in Table 3 corresponds to the position of a horizontal plane
vertically centered along the respective tapered upper surfaces
184A (for lower positions within card storage compartments 172) or
tapered lower surfaces 184B (for upper positions within card
storage compartments 172) at the ends 182 of the ribs 180, 181 (See
FIG. 8B).
[0090] Using the Card Position Table and the First and Second Rack
Position Tables, the control system 280 controls operation of the
card input mechanism 120 and the card storage device 170 to
sequentially position each card into the appropriate card storage
compartment 172 (and appropriate upper or lower card storage
position therein) so as to randomize the order of the cards in the
rack 171. As a particular card is inserted into the rack 171, the
control system 280 references the Card Position Table to determine
in which of the fifty four (54) card storage positions the card is
to be positioned. The control system 280 determines whether there
is already a card located in the respective card storage
compartment 172 in which the card storage position is located. If
there is not a card already present in the card storage compartment
172, the control system 280 references Table 2 to determine where
to position the rack 171 such that, when the card is inserted into
the rack 171 by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, the card will be
inserted into the center of the card storage compartment 172. If
there is a card already present in the card storage compartment
172, the control system 280 references Table 3 to determine where
to position the rack 171 such that, when the card is inserted into
the rack 171 by the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, the card will be
inserted either above or below the card already present in the card
storage compartment 172. Thus, after selectively inserting the
second card into any given card storage compartment 172 above or
below the first card inserted into the card storage compartment
172, the two cards in the card storage compartment 172 will be
appropriately positioned in the upper card storage position and the
lower card storage position, respectively, in that card storage
compartment 172.
[0091] FIG. 14C illustrates a first card 114 being driven from the
bottommost position in the stack of cards 114 on the card support
124 by the pick-off rollers 128A-128C. As indicated in action 410
of FIG. 15, the control system 280 causes the moving card 114 to be
moved to the position at which the card image sensor (an example is
a camera) 252 may acquire one or more images of at least a portion
of the card 114. As each card 114 moves from the pick-off rollers
128A-128C toward the speed-up rollers 134A-134D, movement of the
leading edge of each card 114 over the sensor 318 (FIG. 13) will be
detected by the sensor 318. The control system 280, upon detection
of the signal generated by the sensor 318, may cause the card
imaging system 250 to acquire one or more images of at least a
portion of the card 114 using the card image sensor 252. The card
imaging system 250 may use the acquired images to identify indicia
on the card 114 (e.g., the rank and suit of a standard playing
card). Upon moving all cards 114 into the card storage device 170
as described below, the control system 280 may compare the actual
identity of each card in the set of cards in the rack 171
(determined using the card imaging system 250) to identities of an
expected set of cards, so as to verify that cards that should not
be present in the set are not included (e.g., duplicate cards of
any particular rank and suit), and that cards that should be
present are not absent. Thus, the accuracy and completeness of a
set of cards being shuffled by the card shuffler 100 (e.g., a
single deck of standard playing cards) may be automatically
verified by the control system 280 of the card shuffler 100 with
each shuffling operation performed by the card shuffler 100. The
card shuffler 100 may be configured to dispense the shuffled cards
from the rack 171 only if the verification process determines the
accuracy and completeness of the set of cards. In the event the
verification process determines that the set of cards is incomplete
or otherwise inaccurate, the card shuffler 100 may be configured
not to dispense the shuffled cards and to display an error message
or other signal to a user using the data output device 296 of the
control system 280.
[0092] After acquiring one or more images of the card 114, the card
114 may be moved into the rack 171 using the speed-up rollers
134A-134D and the card packer arm 144 of the card packing device
142. As indicated at action 412 in FIG. 15, the control system 280
may move the rack 171 to the appropriate vertical position for
insertion of the card 114 into the rack 171, as described above.
The control system 280 then may retract the card packer arm 144 of
the packing device 142 (as needed) as indicated at action 414 of
FIG. 15. The control system 280 then may actuate rotation of the
pick-off rollers 128A-128C to cause the card 114 to be gripped by
the rotating speed-up rollers 134A-134D, which will move the card
114 toward the card in/card out sensor 320 and into the rack 171,
as indicated at actions 416 and 418, respectively, in FIG. 15.
[0093] As shown in FIG. 14D, the control system 280 then may
actuate the card packer arm 144 of the card packing device 142
using the packer motor 146, as indicated at action 420 in FIG. 15,
which ensures that the card 114 is fully inserted within the
corresponding card storage compartment 172 in the rack 171, as
previously discussed. The control system 280 then determines
whether or not the number of cards that have been inserted into the
rack 171 corresponds to the initial total number of cards in the
stack of cards 114 on the card support 124. If not, the control
system 280 repeats actions 410 through 420, as indicated at action
422 in FIG. 15, until all cards 114 have been inserted into the
rack 171, as shown in FIG. 14E. If the number of cards 114 that
have been inserted into the rack 171 corresponds to the initial
total number of cards in the stack of cards 114 on the card support
124, the control system 280 then determines whether any cards 114
unexpectedly remain present on the card support 124 using the card
sensor 310 as indicated at action 424. If so, the card shuffler 100
ceases operation and an error message may be displayed on the data
output device 296 (FIG. 13), as indicated in action 426 in FIG. 15.
If not, the control system 280 unloads the cards 114 from the rack
171 as indicated at action 428 in FIG. 15 and described below.
[0094] As previously mentioned, the ejector 228 may be positioned
by the control system 280 on the side of the rack 171 adjacent the
card support 224 of the output elevator 222 and the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D (as shown in FIGS. 14A-14D) during the shuffling
operation while the rack 171 moves vertically up and down and cards
114 are inserted into the rack 171 by the card input mechanism 120.
Once all cards 114 have been inserted into the rack 171 and the set
of cards has been verified for accuracy and completion by the
control system 280 using the card imaging system 250, the cards 114
may be ejected out from the rack 171 using the ejector 228. The
control system 280 may cause the rack 171 to move vertically
downward to the lowermost position to provide clearance to
horizontally move the ejector 228 over the rack 171 to a position
on a side of the rack 171 opposite the card support 224 of the
output elevator 222, as shown in FIG. 14E.
[0095] Referring to FIG. 14F, the control system 280 then may cause
the rack 171 to move in the vertically upward direction to the
uppermost position of the rack 171 while the ejector 228 remains
positioned on the side of the rack 171 opposite the card support
224 of the output elevator 222. Upon moving the rack 171 to the
uppermost position, the ejector 228 may be disposed laterally
adjacent the rack 171 on the side thereof opposite the card support
224. The control system 280 then may cause the ejector 228 to move
in the horizontal direction laterally toward the card support 224.
As the ejector 228 moves in the horizontal direction toward the
card support 224, the ejector 228 abuts against the edges of the
cards 114 opposite the card support 224, passes through a central
void 189 between the side brackets 178A, 178B (FIG. 7) and pushes
the cards 114 out from the card storage compartments 172 and onto
the card support 224 of the card output elevator 222 in the form of
a stack of shuffled cards 114 (FIG. 14G). The cards may be
simultaneously ejected out from the rack 171 together as a batch
and onto the card support 224. FIG. 14F illustrates the ejector 228
at a midpoint in the ejection process at which the ejector 228 is
disposed within the rack 171 and the cards 114 are partially
ejected out from their respective card storage compartments 172 in
the rack 171 by the ejector 228.
[0096] FIG. 14G illustrates the cards 114 completely ejected out
from the rack 171 and dropped onto the card support 224 by the
ejector 228. As shown in FIG. 14G, the cards 114 have dropped onto
the card support 224 in the form of a stack of randomly shuffled
cards 114. After the cards 114 are ejected onto the card support
224, the control system 280 may cause the output elevator 222 and
the input elevator 122 to move vertically upward to the uppermost
positions, as shown in FIG. 14H, and to raise the lid 112, as shown
in FIG. 2. The control system 280 may detect when a user removes
the stack of shuffled cards 114 from the card support 224 of the
output elevator 222 using the card sensor 328. Once the stack of
shuffled cards 114 is removed from the card support 224, the
control system 280 may wait a predetermined amount of time (e.g.,
five seconds) for a user to place another stack of cards 114 onto
the card support 124 of the card input elevator 122. In other
embodiments, another stack of cards may be inserted while the
shuffler is shuffling so that as soon as a shuffled group of cards
is elevated, the next set of cards can be processed. If cards are
removed from the card support 224 and cards are placed on the card
support 124 within the predetermined amount of time, the control
system 280 may cause the card input elevator 122 and the card
output elevator 222 to move vertically downward to the lowermost
positions and close the lid 112, and to then wait for a user to
again press the start button 299 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to use the card
shuffler 100 in shuffling cards, as indicated at action 430 in FIG.
15. After the start button 299 is pushed by a user, the control
system 280 may again cause the output elevator 222 and the input
elevator 122 to move vertically upward to the uppermost positions
and to raise the lid 112, as indicated at action 434 in FIG.
15.
[0097] Upon first raising the input elevator 122 and the output
elevator 222 to the uppermost positions immediately after cards are
unloaded from the rack 171 onto the card support 224, if cards are
removed from the card support 224 and additional cards are placed
on the card support 124 within the predetermined amount of time,
the card shuffler 100 may automatically commence another shuffling
operation and return to action 402 in FIG. 15 to shuffle the
additional stack of cards 114 placed on the card support 124
without requiring the user to press the start button 299 (FIGS. 1
and 2) for each shuffling operation. Thus, the card shuffler 100
may be used repeatedly to shuffle stacks of cards 114 automatically
and continuously simply by placing stacks of cards 114 to be
shuffled on the card support 124 of the input elevator 122 and
removing stacks of shuffled cards 114 from the card support 224 of
the output elevator 222 between shuffling operations.
[0098] As previously mentioned, the card shuffler 100 also may be
used to sort cards in a stack of cards placed on the card support
124 of the card input elevator 122 into a predefined order, such as
a sequential "new deck" order for a standard deck of playing cards.
The card shuffler 100 may be placed in a sort mode of operation
(and/or a shuffle mode of operation) using the data input device
294 of the control system 280. When the card shuffler 100 is in the
sort mode, the start button 299 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may be pressed to
cause the input elevator 122 and the output elevator 222 to rise to
the uppermost positions and open the lid 112. The stack of cards to
be sorted may be placed on the card support 124 of the card input
elevator 122. After the card sensor 310 detects the presence of the
stack of cards on the card support 124 for a predetermined amount
of time (e.g., five seconds), the control system 280 may
automatically commence a sorting operation by lowering the input
elevator 122 and the output elevator 222 to the lowermost positions
and closing the lid 112. In some embodiments, the sorting operation
may be initiated responsive to a user input on the card shuffler
itself and/or a remote device.
[0099] Once the input elevator 122 and the output elevator 222 have
moved to the lowermost positions with the stack of cards resting on
the card support 124 of the input elevator 122, the card input
mechanism 120 and the card imaging system 250 may be used to
sequentially identify the rank and suit of the cards in the stack
(using the card imaging system 250), and to respectively move the
cards into predetermined positions within the rack 171 of the card
storage device 170, such that the cards are ordered within the rack
171 in a predetermined, selected order in a direction extending
from the top of the rack 171 to the bottom of the rack 171, or from
the bottom of the rack 171 to the top of the rack 171.
[0100] To sort cards, the control system 280 of the card shuffler
100 may reference a Sort Table, which may be stored in a memory
device 290 of the control system 280. The Sort Table correlates the
identity of specific cards in a predefined set of cards (e.g., a
deck of standard playing cards) to one of the fifty four (54) card
storage positions in the rack 171 in the predefined order (e.g.,
new deck order), in one embodiment.
[0101] The control system 280 may selectively control movement of
the various components of the card input mechanism 120 and the card
storage device 170 to cause the cards in the stack of cards to be
inserted into the rack 171 and positioned in their assigned card
storage positions corresponding to the selected, predefined order.
As previously described, the rack 171 is moved up and down in the
vertical direction to a proper position relative to the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D (which are disposed at a fixed, static location
within the card shuffler 100) for insertion of each card into the
appropriate card storage compartment 172 and into its assigned card
storage position.
[0102] The Sort Table and the First and Second Rack Position Tables
may be referenced and used by the control system 280 in controlling
operation of the card input mechanism 120, the card imaging system
250, and the card storage device 170 to sequentially position each
card into the appropriate card storage compartment 172 (and
appropriate upper or lower card storage position therein) so as to
position the cards in the rack 171 in the predefined, selected
order. As a particular card is inserted into the rack 171, the
control system 280 references the Sort Table to determine in which
of the fifty four (54) card storage positions the specific
identified card is to be positioned. As previously discussed, the
control system 280 determines whether there is already a card
located in the respective card storage compartment 172 in which the
card storage position is located. If there is not a card already
present in the card storage compartment 172, the control system 280
references Table 2 to determine where to position the rack 171 such
that, when the card is inserted into the rack 171 by the speed-up
rollers 134A-134D, the card will be inserted into the center of the
card storage compartment 172. If there is a card already present in
the card storage compartment 172, the control system 280 references
Table 3 to determine where to position the rack 171 such that, when
the card is inserted into the rack 171 by the speed-up rollers
134A-134D, the card will be inserted either above or below the card
already present in the card storage compartment 172 at an offset
location of the selected card storage compartment 172.
[0103] After selectively inserting the second card into any given
card storage compartment 172 above or below the first card inserted
into the card storage compartment 172, the two cards in the card
storage compartment 172 will be appropriately positioned in the
upper card storage position and the lower card storage position,
respectively, in that card storage compartment 172. Any cards that
fail to be inserted (e.g., due to a card jam) as determined by the
control system 280 may instead be inserted into an overflow
compartment as discussed in more detail below. Although most card
jams occur when a second card is being inserted into a compartment
already containing a card, jams can occasionally occur when a first
card is being inserted into a compartment. In one example of the
invention, a first card insert jam may cause the machine to declare
a failed shuffle and terminate the shuffle. In another embodiment,
the first card insert jam causes the processor to reinsert the card
in an unused compartment. For example, when the shuffler is
shuffling 52 cards using 27 compartments, one of the compartments
is dedicated as an "overflow" compartment that is capable of
receiving a card that could not be fed into another
compartment.
[0104] For example, in the case of a card jam wherein a card being
inserted into the card storage device 170 is not actually inserted
into the card storage device 170 as intended, the direction of
rotation of the speed-up rollers 134A-134D may be reversed to
withdraw the card from the card storage device 170, after which the
position of the card storage device 170 may be adjusted and the
speed-up rollers 134A-134D activated to again attempt to reinsert
the card into another compartment of the card storage device 170.
If the card cannot be inserted into the primary location of the
card storage device 170 upon a predetermined number of attempts,
the control system may instead attempt to insert the card into the
designated overflow compartment. If the card cannot be inserted
into the card storage device 170 upon a predetermined number of
attempts to insert the card to an overflow compartment, operation
of the card shuffler 100 may be interrupted and an error message
provided to a user via the data output device 296 of the control
system 280.
[0105] Embodiments of the disclosure may also be configured to
reduce the occurrences of jamming that may occur during a shuffle
operation, sort operation, and/or other operations of the card
shuffler 100. In some situations, the cards may be squeezed between
the card already within a compartment 172 and the edge of the
compartment 172 (e.g., either upper or lower depending on the
position of the card being inserted). In some embodiments, the
control system 280 may cause the rack 171 to align the compartment
172 to the appropriate upper or lower card storage position as
there is already a card present within the compartment 172. The
control system 280 may cause rotation of the speed-up rollers
134A-134D partially into the compartment 172 either above or below
the card within the compartment 172. Prior to fully inserting the
card into the compartment 172, the control system 172 may move the
rack 171 to another location in the direction of the center of the
respective compartment 172. In some situations, the rack 171 may be
moved from either the upper or lower card storage position to the
center position of the compartment 172 while the card is in the
process of being inserted into the compartment. Doing so may reduce
the number of jammed card experienced by the card shuffler.
[0106] After placing the cards in the rack 171 such that the cards
are in the predetermined, selected order within the rack 171, the
cards may be ejected out from the rack 171, as previously
discussed, to place the stack of sorted cards onto the card support
224 of the card output elevator 222. The control system 280 then
may cause the output elevator 222 and the input elevator 122 to
move vertically upward to the uppermost positions and to raise the
lid 112, thereby allowing a user to remove the stack of sorted
cards from the card support 224 of the card output elevator
222.
[0107] Embodiments of the disclosure may also include improvements
to the shuffling process to better randomize the deck in the event
of a jam or other failure of inserting a card into its primary
compartment assignment. As discussed above, at least one extra card
storage compartment (also referred to as an "overflow compartment")
may be provided in the rack 171 that may be selected for receiving
cards that initially failed to be inserted into the original card
storage compartment 172 (e.g., due to card jams, warped cards,
damaged cards, etc.). In other words, the card shuffler 100 may
deliver a card into the overflow compartment when a prior delivery
attempt to a different compartment failed. In some embodiments, the
overflow compartment reserved for failed attempts may be a fixed
position within the rack 171, such as the top card storage
compartment, the bottom card storage compartment, and/or an
intermediate card storage compartment. A fixed position means that
the same card storage compartment(s) is reserved as the overflow
compartment from one shuffle to the next shuffle. One advantage of
having a fixed position is that the extra card storage compartment
may be constructed to be larger in size compared with the other
card storage compartments to accommodate a bent card or other
problem that caused the failure.
[0108] For example, Table 4 shows a compartment table indicating
the status of each card storage compartment in the rack 171. Card
storage compartment 0 may correspond to the top card storage
compartment of the rack 171 and card storage compartment 27 may be
the bottom card storage compartment as discussed above. Card
storage compartments 0 to 26 are listed as "primary" (i.e., used by
the card shuffler 100 as one of the original locations during a
shuffle). Card storage compartment 27 is listed as "overflow"
(i.e., used by the card shuffler 100 as an overflow location during
the shuffle if inserting a card into one of the original card
storage locations fails). The card positions may also be randomly
assigned to each card of the deck for inserting the cards randomly
into the compartments during a shuffle as discussed above. In this
case, the positions may range from 0 to 53 for two positions per
compartment corresponding to compartments 0 to 26 being primary
compartments, and reserving compartment 27 as the overflow
compartment. Table 5 shows an example of 54 card (assigned card
numbers 0 to 53) being randomly assigned to the different card
positions.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Compartment Table Compartment Status 0
Primary 1 Primary 2 Primary 3 Primary 4 Primary . . . . . . 24
Primary 25 Primary 26 Primary 27 Overflow
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Card Position Table Card Position 0 44 1 21
2 37 3 2 4 19 5 45 6 52 7 36 8 28 9 6 . . . . . . 48 53 49 20 50 39
51 35 52 27 53 48
[0109] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the card
shuffler during a shuffling operation according to another
embodiment of the disclosure in which the overflow compartment may
not be a fixed compartment in the rack 171. In particular, the
flowchart of FIG. 16 may, in some respects, be a simplified version
of the flowchart of FIG. 15 as will be described below.
[0110] At action 1602, the overflow compartment may be selected
during the shuffle. The selection may be determined randomly (e.g.,
via the random number generator) by the control system 280 at the
beginning of the shuffle. As a result, the same card storage
compartment may not be used as the overflow compartment from one
shuffle to the next. This may have the advantage of improving the
randomness of the card shuffle, particularly when there is a
particular card in a deck that consistently results in a failure
during the shuffle. For example, one card in a deck may be bent or
warped--causing the card to regularly fail to insert into its
assigned upper or lower position during each shuffle. With a fixed
overflow compartment, the same card may be assigned to the same
position within the otherwise shuffled deck (e.g., at the bottom of
the deck). By randomly assigning the overflow compartment, the card
may be inserted at different positions within the deck even if the
card consistently fails at its original position.
[0111] To accommodate a randomly assigned overflow compartment, the
assigned card positions may be determined and/or adjusted
responsive to the overflow compartment assignment at act 1604. For
example, Table 6 shows a compartment table indicating the status of
each card storage compartment in the rack 171. In this example,
there are 28 compartments (numbered from 0 to 27) that can
accommodate 54 cards with one overflow compartment. As shown in
Table 6, compartment 4 is assigned to be the overflow compartment
according to a random assignment by the control system. As a
result, card storage compartments 0 to 3 and 5 to 27 are listed as
being available as regular card storage compartments to be used
during the card shuffling process. The card positions may also be
randomly assigned to each card of the deck by the control system
280 for inserting the cards randomly into the primary positions
within the card storage compartments during a shuffle as discussed
above. In this case, the positions may range from 0 to 53 for two
positions per compartment corresponding to compartments 0 to 3 and
4 to 27 being available, and reserving compartment 4 as the
overflow compartment.
[0112] In some embodiments, the position assignment process may be
configured to adjust the assigned card positions by adjusting
(e.g., incrementing) any pre-assigned positions that may be
impacted by the randomly assigned overflow compartment. For
example, Table 7 shows an example of 54 cards (assigned card
numbers 0 to 53) being randomly assigned to the different card
positions and then having at least some of those pre-assigned
positions adjusted. Because compartment 4 has been randomly
assigned to be the overflow compartment, positions 8 and 9 may not
be available for primary use during the shuffling process. Thus,
any pre-assigned positions for positions 8 and above may be
incremented by two. Table 7 shows this process in which positions 0
to 7 remain unchanged, and pre-assigned positions 8 and above are
incremented--leaving claims 8 and 9 unassigned so that compartment
4 may be used as the overflow compartment during the current
shuffle. For the next shuffle, a different compartment may be
randomly assigned as the overflow compartment and any pre-assigned
compartment positions may be adjusted accordingly.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Compartment Table Compartment Status 0
Primary 1 Primary 2 Primary 3 Primary 4 Overflow . . . . . . 23
Primary 24 Primary 25 Primary 26 Primary 27 Primary
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Card Position Table Card Old Position New
Position 0 44 46 1 21 23 2 37 39 3 2 2 4 19 21 5 45 47 6 52 54 7 36
38 8 28 30 9 6 6 . . . . . . . . . 46 14 16 47 9 11 48 53 55 49 20
22 50 39 41 51 35 37 52 27 29 53 48 50
[0113] In another embodiment, the position assignment process may
be configured to adjust the assigned card positions responsive to
the random overflow compartment in its original card position
assignment. In this case, the control system 280 may first randomly
assign the overflow compartment and then account for that
compartment assignment when assigning the card positions. For
example, if compartment 4 is assigned to be the overflow
compartment, the control system 280 may take that assignment into
account when assigning the card positions in the first instance.
The random card position available for initial assignment by the
control system 280 may range from 0 to 7 and 10 to 55--effectively
ignoring positions 8 and 9 during the initial position assignment
process. For the next shuffle, a different compartment may be
randomly assigned as the overflow compartment and the card
positions available for assignment may be adjusted accordingly.
[0114] In another embodiment, the position assignment process may
include adjusting the range from 0 to 53, but then only reassign
positions 8 and 9 rather than adjusting other card position
assignments. In this case, when the control system 280 may first
receive a random number to assign a card to position 8, the control
system 280 instead assigns the card to position 54 in compartment
27. Similarly, when the control system 280 receives a random number
to assign a card to position 9, the control system 280 instead
assigns the card to position 55 in compartment 27. Thus, positions
8 and 9 may be effectively ignored during original card position
assignment, thus reserving compartment 4 to be used as the overflow
compartment during the shuffle process.
[0115] The examples given above describe embodiments in which one
overflow compartment is utilized. Of course, similar methods may
also be used for embodiments in which two or more overflow
compartments are randomly assigned. For example, an embodiment with
28 compartments may accommodate 52 cards with two overflow
compartments. In such an embodiment having two overflow
compartments in which pre-assigned positions are incremented, some
position assignments may be incremented by two positions whereas
other position assignments may be incremented by four positions
depending on where the positions are relative to the each randomly
assigned overflow compartment. The number of compartments may limit
the number of cards and/or overflow compartments that can be
utilized.
[0116] With the overflow compartment(s) and the card positions
randomly determined, the cards may be inserted into the assigned
compartment positions at action 1606. Inserting the card into its
primary position may be similar to the actions 406 to 422 (FIG. 15)
described above. In some situations, a card may fail to be inserted
into its primary position randomly assigned by the control system
280. At action 1608, the control system 280 may confirm whether the
insertion into the primary compartment failed. If not, the next
card may be inserted into its primary compartment. If so, the card
may be inserted into the randomly assigned overflow compartment at
operation 1610. If more than one randomly assigned overflow
compartment exists, the control system 280 may ensure than each
overflow compartment is used to receive a card before beginning to
insert multiple cards within the same overflow compartment. Again,
this may improve the randomness of the shuffle for instances in
which more than one card consistently fails in multiple
shuffles.
[0117] The example embodiments of the disclosure described above do
not limit the scope of the invention, since these embodiments are
merely examples of embodiments of the invention, which is defined
by the scope of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of
this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure, in
addition to those shown and described herein, such as alternate
useful combinations of the elements described, will become apparent
to those skilled in the art from the description. Such
modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the
scope of the appended claims, including legal equivalents.
* * * * *